Daily Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1882-1893, 1887-07-08
BASE BALL.
A Novice's Experience and I'm
pressions of the National
Game
And the New Rules Under
Which it is at Present
Played.
THE NATIONAL GAME.

THE NATIONAL GAME.
Experience Of an Amateur under the New
Rules.
! went out on Monday to zee game
Of the newly revised base ball at lhe
Polo grounds. / went at the instance
Of Trenor. VINO solemnly assured me
that an intimate knowledge Of base
ball was vital to one who desired to
comprehend serious questions Of polit.
ical economy. He wanted my honest
opinion Of the new rules. As / was
totally unacquainted with the old
rules. IL can be seen that / approached
the revised game absolutely without
bias.
The first time l ever played base
ball 1 was pitcher In the Junior Giants
at college. Ike Juniors were to play
a practice match with the Senior
Giants that day, and as the two regu-
Lar pitchers and both substitutes were
still in the hospital resting from the
game played the previous week, I was
called upon to serve. served one
inning. I made the one brilliant
play, stopping q swift ball with the
lowest button on my vest, and tnen,
being somewhat tired and out of
breath, I went to the hospital to lie
down, and took NO further interest In
the game.
lam free'to confess ! do not like the
new rules There is too little blood.
shed allowed, and the spectator sci.
dom gets his moneys worth except by
accident. There were only four play
ers permanently disabled on Monday,
and but nine spectator, including
mys>lf. crippled for life. admit tax.
Ing sudden and deep interest in this
last incident, but up to that time the
game was painfully mono.onous.
Ten years ago, when some ingeni.
ous assassin invented the underhaud
throw. an immense amount of jour-
nalistic comment was excited, for the
reporters box was purposely put i'm
mediately bahind the catcher, and
when the pitcher failed to slay that
dodging gentleman the ball was al.
most sure to create Q vacancy in the
city department Of some powerful
ournal aud stimulate the junior rank,
OF the profession. A year later the
"curve" was invented, whereby 9
skillful pitcher could twist ball com.
pletely around his bafiied opponent al
the bat. strike tangent and smite the
umpire in the cara feat always de-
lighting the spectators. A combine
tion Of these systems was then intro
duced, aud the trained destroyer wa
enabled to either drive the ball through
q double thickness of bis own team
perforate the batter, cut q swath In
the grand stsnd or execute the um
pire, as he pleased; and as he general
ly pleased, the game became q marve
of beauty and excitement, and lef
nothing to be desired but increased
accommodations at the morgue.
Unfortunately, this delightful free
dom with life and limb In the Nation
al game had its drawbacks. II wal
soon discovered by the managers Of
the League that although umpire,
were Of no earthly value while livini
and in health, they ware costly whil
in q msngled condition. and left ava
ricious widows, who took the marrow
minded view that nothing less thai
five thoufand dollars would settle tn
bill. Sometimes, Too, the brutal In
reference OF the police was carried h
the extent Of removing the pitcher h
jail, where the sordid authorities KEEP
him until q mob of his admirers en-
forced his release. So, too, In tn
opinion of the frugal League manag
en. the destruction Of spectators
which occurred from time when
pitcher was careless or trying to b
funny, was injurious, % the constan
removal Of dead bodies from the firs
row distracted the attention o
thoughtful spectators from the NOR
serious points In the game. The
again, when pitcher had MANNED @
killed player Of the opposite nine b
good shot. the adverse pitcher, whel
his turn came, would consider retail
alton duty. and sometimes ther
would no be four left on side for tn
last innings, which interfered with th
score. These considsrAtlons-pAltry
perhaps, but prudent-led to the re
vision Of the pitchers methods, and
now hefs limited 10 the infiiction o
comminutsd fractures and mortal bu
not instaneously fatal wounds. He y
limited 10 two umpires q week, and !
! he kills more than that number 10 II